Cardinal Lozano Barragán's Address at World Day of the
Sick in ADELAIDE, Australia,on FEB. 18, 2006 stated
"that
the Mentally Ill Person is a Faithful Image of God."Not
as many in Christian thought sees the mentally ill as a
deformed image of God.Blessed Pope John Paul II also
stated this in an address
addressing participants in the international conference
sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral
Assistance to Health-Care Workers "Whoever suffers from
mental illness 'always' bears God's image and likeness
in himself, as does every human being In addition, he
'always' has the inalienable right not only to be
considered as an image of God and therefore as a
person, but also to be treated as such"
Now to my question I Clearly understand what Blessed
Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Lozano Barragán's are
saying.
There is a broad range of mental disorders,
schizophrenia,major depressive disorder,bipolar
disorder, and studies have shown that genetics,
heredity and biology play a significant role in a
person suffering from mental illness. It's not a choice
or a person's fault. Do you think that enough is being
done by the Church and/or the secular world to help the
mentally ill?

Answer by Richard Geraghty on 4/8/2013:

Dear Ed,

Catholics of course can always do more. But the Pope and the Cardinal have already done a great deal in insisting publicly that the mentally ill are images of God and encouraging others to care for them as such.